OKC Comets Game Notes - May 24, 2025
May 24, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sacramento River Cats (24-25) at Oklahoma City Comets (29-20)
Game #50 of 150/First Half #50 of 75/Home #29 of 75
Pitching Probables: SAC-LHP Carson Whisenhunt (4-3, 3.00) vs. OKC-LHP Ben Harris (1-0, 3.15)
Saturday, May 24, 2025 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 6:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Sports Live, SportsNet LA
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Comets seek a win today to avoid losing their first series of the season as they continue their six-game set against the Sacramento River Cats at 6:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The River Cats have a 3-1 lead in the series...The Comets are 1-4 over the last five games and are 3-6 in the last nine games...Tonight the Comets play their 50th game of the season as they reach the one-third mark of their 150-game schedule.
Last Game: The Oklahoma City Comets chipped away at the early lead built by the Sacramento River Cats Friday night, but would go on to an 8-6 loss at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The River Cats jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, including a grand slam by Jake Lamb. After Sacramento added a run on a wild pitch in the third inning, Oklahoma City's Alex Freeland connected on a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to three runs. Austin Gauthier knocked a RBI triple into the right-field corner for the Comets to trim the score to 6-4 in the fourth inning before the River Cats added two more runs in the fifth inning. The Comets scored twice in the seventh inning but were unable to get any closer.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Ben Harris (1-0) is slated to open tonight's game...Tonight is Harris' second start and 16th appearance of the season with OKC...Harris most recently pitched Wednesday against Sacramento, allowing one run, three walks and a hit by pitch over 1.1 innings of relief with one strikeout...He started a game for the Comets earlier this month with 1.1 scoreless innings May 6 against Albuquerque in OKC. He allowed two hits and a walk with three strikeouts...Although opponents are batting just .172 against him, Harris has 18 walks in 20.0 innings and has walked nearly 20 percent of batters faced...Harris spent the majority of the 2024 season with Double-A Tulsa before making two September appearances with OKC in his Triple-A debut...He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft from the University of Georgia.
Against the River Cats: 2025: 1-3 2024: 4-8 All-time: 65-66 At OKC: 32-35 The Comets and River Cats meet for their first of four series as the teams play a total of 21 games against one another in 2025 - their most ever in a single season since they started playing in 2000 and the most OKC plays against any opponent this season...Sacramento won the 2024 series between the teams, 8-4, as they played 12 games during the first half of last season...Andre Lipcius led OKC with 12 hits, including three homers, while Kody Hoese had six RBI in the 2024 series. The River Cats outscored OKC, 55-35, and outhit OKC, 112-88, last season...Prior to last season, OKC won back-to-back season series against Sacramento, going a combined 18-6 in 2022 and 2023. The River Cats are now 11-5 against OKC the last two seasons, including 7-3 in Bricktown...Since OKC became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, OKC has a 33-30 advantage in the Triple-A version of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry...Prior to this season, the most times the teams have met in a season was 15 times in 2023.
Going Through It: After defeating El Paso, 10-0, May 2, the Comets stood a season-best 13 games above .500 at 22-9 and sat atop the PCL standings. Since then, the team is 7-11 (4-8 at home), and in five of those 11 losses, the Comets led the in eighth inning or later. During that stretch, the Comets are tied with Albuquerque and Reno for the fewest wins among PCL teams...Oklahoma City trails, 3-1, in the current series and will need to win tonight and Sunday to avoid the team's first series loss of the season. This is the first time since Sept. 3-6, 2024 against Sugar Land that OKC has trailed, 3-1, in a series...OKC is 5-0-3 through eight series this season but have settled for splits in each of the team's last three series, losing the series finale each time after entering with a 3-2 series lead. The Comets are 2-0-2 through their first four home series...The Comets have one win in their last five home games and are now 15-13 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Comets started the season 11-5 in Bricktown, but are 4-8 in their last 12 home games.
Pacific Rim: With last night's loss and a Sugar Land win, the Comets fell back into third place in the overall Pacific Coast League standings. With 26 games remaining in the first half, the Comets sit 2.5 games behind league-leading Las Vegas and a half-game behind second-place Sugar Land, which is in the midst of a six-game home series against Las Vegas and leads, 2-1. OKC will play in Las Vegas next week and does not play Sugar Land again in the first half after winning two of three games to open the season.
Running With Ruiz: Esteury Ruiz extended his hitting streak to seven games Friday, collecting a single and scoring two runs. He is now 11-for-33 (.333) during the streak with four RBI and nine runs scored. The current streak matches his longest of the season (April 20-30) and is tied for the third-longest hitting streak of the season by an Oklahoma City player...Ruiz leads the PCL with 23 stolen bases, seven ahead of two players in second place. Ruiz's 32 runs scored this season are tied for ninth-most in the PCL.
Crook3d Number5: The Comets gave up eight more runs last night and have surrendered at least eight runs in three of four games this series and at least five runs in a season-high five straight games. The River Cats have now scored 32 runs during the current series with two games still remaining. Through OKC's first eight series of the season, the Comets have allowed more than 32 runs in an entire six-game series just twice - April 22-27 at Salt Lake (33) and April 1-6 against El Paso (34)...Starting with Sunday's ninth inning in Round Rock, opponents have scored 37 runs (35 ER) on 45 hits over the last 38 innings. During that time, opponents are batting .290 (45x155) with four home runs and have had a staggering 56 at-bats with runners in scoring position (.304; 17x56). At least two batters have reached base in 22 of the 38 innings (58 percent) and there have only been nine 1-2-3 innings...Sacramento tallied five runs in the first inning Friday for the River Cats' third inning this series with at least four runs and a fifth inning with at least three runs. In six of the last 10 home games, the Comets have allowed an inning of four-plus runs, including in four of the last five. In nine of the last 11 games overall, the Comets have allowed at least one inning of three-plus runs (10 total), including in five straight games (six total)...During the current series, starting pitchers have relented 24 runs and 22 hits over a combined 13.0 innings, with Sacramento batting .367 (22x60). The starters have also handed out 12 walks, resulting in a 2.62 WHIP.
Free Bird: Alex Freeland hit his fourth home run of the season Friday night and leads OKC with 35 RBI this season, including six RBI over his last five games. Freeland also leads OKC with 48 games played, 17 doubles and 32 walks...His 17 doubles are second-most among PCL leaders, while his 32 walks are fourth-most in the league, his 35 RBI are tied for fourth in the league and his 21 extra-base hits are tied for seventh in the PCL.
Dinger Details: OKC has hit 56 home runs through the first 49 games of the season - tied for third-most in the PCL. However, OKC has hit 20 homers through 21 games of May after hitting 41 homers through their first 32 games of 2025 - tied for most in the league with Reno...On the other hand, the Comets have allowed four home runs over the last five games. Last night, former Oklahoma City player Jake Lamb hit a grand slam for Sacramento in the first inning, which was the first grand slam allowed by Oklahoma City this season and first allowed by OKC since July 1, 2024 in Las Vegas (Seth Brown). It was also the first grand slam allowed by OKC in a home game since Sept. 13, 2023 against Tacoma (Ryan Bliss)...OKC has allowed 41 home runs through 49 games this season - second-fewest in the league.
Ways of the K: Oklahoma City pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts Friday, marking the third time this season the Comets racked up 14 or more strikeouts in a game and second time in a one-week span (14 K, May 16 in Round Rock)...The Comets have double-digit strikeout totals in six of the last eight games (88) and in seven of the last games (106).
Around the Horn: Ryan Ward picked up a RBI Friday and now has 228 RBI in his OKC career. He is two RBI away from tying OKC's Bricktown-era career RBI record of 230 (Jason Botts, 2005-08)...The Comets lead the PCL with 69 stolen bases this season, but have just two over the last five games...The Comets have hit into at least one double play in seven straight games (10 total) and in eight of the last nine games (13 total)...Yesterday the Comets lost a game while scoring at least six runs for the second time this season (20-2) and for the first time since a 12-8 defeat at the hands of El Paso April 5.
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 24, 2025
- Isotopes Blow Lead, Rally Late to Defeat Aces 8-7 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Garcia's Go-Ahead Homer Not Enough as Aces Fall, 8-7, to Isotopes - Reno Aces
- River Cats Down Comets, 11-4 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Castro Blisters Homer But Sugar Land Falls against Las Vegas - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - at El Paso - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Comets Game Notes - May 24, 2025 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Aviators Host Oklahoma City, Triple-A Affiliate of L.A. Dodgers, in Six-Game Homestand from Tuesday-Sunday, May 27 - June 1 - Las Vegas Aviators
- Sánchez 4-Hit Night Ends with Walk-Off as Bees Beat Chasers - Salt Lake Bees
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